#cannot emphasize enough

[hvkno]

Hiiii I’m the one from ao3 lmao, sorry if I’m being creepy

Thank you so so much for the fanfiction Ive loved it sm

YOU ARE NOT BEING CREEPY THIS IS SO COOL AND AMAZING!!!!

this artwork is so perfect and literally exactly how i pictured it IM SO FLATTERED YOU TOOK TIME OUT OF YOUR DAY TO MAKE SUCH COOL ART OF MY FIC. IM ACTUALLY KINDA FREAKING OUT LOL

ur v talented btw and i'm glad you enjoyed my fic

for everyone unaware, @1mponderabilia made art of my byler fanfic!!!!

[s0ftand0nly]

TikTok trend. Pls ignore that this is off beat

[marginal-notes]

Who knows if this fic will ever see the light of day, but UGH JUST

Clogging up my phone’s notes app with increasingly crazed notes and plot ideas like:

No joke, 60%+ of this fic is turning into a raging argument over military defensive needs vs what’s an optimal urban design configuration for supporting civilians at scale.

It feels so dumb how I’m lording all of modern research over the heads of these characters. They’re fictional men in the past of some magic ninja story. Why am I taking so much glee in causing all these problems for them.

[falcon-writes]

best fucking art I’ve ever seen in my life

i cannot believe this. The watercolors literally gave me feels all by themselves how do you expect me to react to the REST of the art

also they did a drawing tutorial????? On how to draw Aziraphale and Crowley???? And before i even saw this video i literally went “holy shit i want to learn how to draw from this artist” AND LO AND BEHOLD

petition to get a drawing video with guidelines ;D

@pinkpiggy93

[hetheymerrill]

Everyone clap for non consensual body modification everybody loves a character whose body has been altered against their will

[ohsleepie]

The world revolves around his waist I'm pretty sure.

[beastliness]

you guys will never believe this shit that happened to me today

artist's rendition:

[smolldust]

Pomni boutta get the craziest head of all time

[reasonsforhope]

Federal regulators on Tuesday [April 23, 2024] enacted a nationwide ban on new noncompete agreements, which keep millions of Americans — from minimum-wage earners to CEOs — from switching jobs within their industries.

The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday afternoon voted 3-to-2 to approve the new rule, which will ban noncompetes for all workers when the regulations take effect in 120 days [So, the ban starts in early September, 2024!]. For senior executives, existing noncompetes can remain in force. For all other employees, existing noncompetes are not enforceable.

[That's right: if you're currently under a noncompete agreement, it's completely invalid as of September 2024! You're free!!]

The antitrust and consumer protection agency heard from thousands of people who said they had been harmed by noncompetes, illustrating how the agreements are "robbing people of their economic liberty," FTC Chair Lina Khan said. 

The FTC commissioners voted along party lines, with its two Republicans arguing the agency lacked the jurisdiction to enact the rule and that such moves should be made in Congress...

Why it matters

The new rule could impact tens of millions of workers, said Heidi Shierholz, a labor economist and president of the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank. 

"For nonunion workers, the only leverage they have is their ability to quit their job," Shierholz told CBS MoneyWatch. "Noncompetes don't just stop you from taking a job — they stop you from starting your own business."

Since proposing the new rule, the FTC has received more than 26,000 public comments on the regulations. The final rule adopted "would generally prevent most employers from using noncompete clauses," the FTC said in a statement.

The agency's action comes more than two years after President Biden directed the agency to "curtail the unfair use" of noncompetes, under which employees effectively sign away future work opportunities in their industry as a condition of keeping their current job. The president's executive order urged the FTC to target such labor restrictions and others that improperly constrain employees from seeking work.

"The freedom to change jobs is core to economic liberty and to a competitive, thriving economy," Khan said in a statement making the case for axing noncompetes. "Noncompetes block workers from freely switching jobs, depriving them of higher wages and better working conditions, and depriving businesses of a talent pool that they need to build and expand."

Real-life consequences

In laying out its rationale for banishing noncompetes from the labor landscape, the FTC offered real-life examples of how the agreements can hurt workers.

In one case, a single father earned about $11 an hour as a security guard for a Florida firm, but resigned a few weeks after taking the job when his child care fell through. Months later, he took a job as a security guard at a bank, making nearly $15 an hour. But the bank terminated his employment after receiving a letter from the man's prior employer stating he had signed a two-year noncompete.

In another example, a factory manager at a textile company saw his paycheck dry up after the 2008 financial crisis. A rival textile company offered him a better job and a big raise, but his noncompete blocked him from taking it, according to the FTC. A subsequent legal battle took three years, wiping out his savings. 

-via CBS Moneywatch, April 24, 2024

--

Note:

A lot of people think that noncompete agreements are only a white-collar issue, but they absolutely affect blue-collar workers too, as you can see from the security guard anecdote.

In fact, one in six food and service workers are bound by noncompete agreements. That's right - one in six food workers can't leave Burger King to work for Wendy's [hypothetical example], in the name of "trade secrets." (x, x, x)

Noncompete agreements also restrict workers in industries from tech and video games to neighborhood yoga studios. "The White House estimates that tens of millions of workers are subject to noncompete agreements, even in states like California where they're banned." (x, x, x)

The FTC estimates that the ban will lead to "the creation of 8,500 new businesses annually, an average annual pay increase of $524 for workers, lower health care costs, and as many as 29,000 more patents each year for the next decade." (x)

Clearer explanation of noncompete agreements below the cut.

Noncompete agreements can restrict workers from leaving for a better job or starting their own business.

Noncompetes often effectively coerce workers into staying in jobs they want to leave, and even force them to leave a profession or relocate.

Noncompetes can prevent workers from accepting higher-paying jobs, and even curtail the pay of workers not subject to them directly.

Of the more than 26,000 comments received by the FTC, more than 25,000 supported banning noncompetes. 

[wildmon-rehabilitation]

if you're warm, they're warm. let them in your fridge

Be sure to keep your insulated friends cool as the weather gets hotter :]

[just-trying-my-best-everyday]

I think we are way too chill about Lan Fan. She's sixteen. She cut off her own arm and waded through dirty sewers right after. She recovered from automail surgery in six months, a shorter time than the main character of the series, who previously held the record for shortest recovery period. She took on not one, not two, but THREE immortal beings and came out alive from every encounter. She cut off her own arm. She blew up a town in her first appearance. She blushed a lot. She cut off her own arm. She was the key to a more important character accomplishing his goal. She was arguably the most loyal character out of a giant cast of hyperloyal characters. She cut off her own arm.

[nevertem]

[3liza]

i don't know how to explain to this website or to economists generally that any definition of "the economy" that isn't measuring the day to day personal subjective experience of the unwashed masses is not interesting or relevant to anyone but people who don't buy their own groceries and/or lucked into generational wealth and/or have permanent fuck you career tracks in some sort of torment nexus agency

[livinginadumpster]

Niko and Edwin's friendship is so so important to me. These two really came into each other's lives at just the right time to become immensely, exceptionally important to each other.

Niko needed someone to get her out of her room. She needed someone who would invite her along to things (i.e.: the library) but still respect her boundaries (i.e.: not always wanting to come along on cases). Edwin helped her come out of her shell without ever forcing her into anything. He compliments her when she does well and steps outside her usual comfort zone. He confesses his own fears and insecurities so she doesn't feel alone. He genuinely cares about her and values her input and opinions. He makes sure she knows she's loved and needed.

Edwin needed someone he could confide in other than Charles about the feelings he was just starting to uncover, feelings that were still strange and confusing and difficult. He needed someone who could help him understand himself, someone who would be there to support him and guide him through. Niko pushes him to think about things and take steps he wouldn't have otherwise. She shares whatever knowledge she has with him, gifts him a piece of sea glass for courage, and is honest and encouraging with him about everything. She makes sure he knows he's not alone and doesn't have to suffer in silence.

I think that's the reason why they became so close so quickly - they really needed each other. In each other, they found exactly the person they were missing.

[knivesandteeth]

Hate when people make garak taller than Julian in an attempt to make us think he's more dominant or scary. IDC if you make him a dinosaur 🦎 but that dinosaur is not taller than Bashir.

Siddig is taller than Andy!!

[kalwithatrenchcoat]

AUUHH LOVE YOUR DOEY (gives him all the flowers)

More flowers for Shayla!

Truly appreciate your appreciation into the artworks of him in this humble blog.